Maintain your Dishwasher for Peak Efficiency

You don’t have to be a certified pro plumber or handyman to check out why your dishes aren’t coming out sparkling white. Your dishwasher might sound like it’s getting louder with each cycle, your dishes are coming out streaky or smeared and you’re wondering what kind of do-it-yourself appliance parts repair you can do to get your dishwasher back up to new-ish condition.

To maintain your dishwasher, you can rely on your manufacturer’s warranty if still effective, or deek out your friendly handyman. But for smaller trouble-shooting issues, try to assess the problem yourself; it’s not too difficult, trust us!

Here are a few tips to doing a quick DIY spot check on your dishwasher to keep it in great condition.

1. Clean the filter! Today’s dishwashers work far better when you keep them clean! So one of the first cleaning tips is to maintain your filter. Check the upper and lower filter and clean off any food scraps or grime.  A dishwasher’s filtration system needs cleaning, make it a point to do it at least once a month.  

To do this, find the filters on the bottom of your dishwasher, open up the filter and rinse them clean. For  more stubborn stains, maybe use a light brush, but do not use a touch scrubber as you might endanger the filter itself. Lightly scrub away the gunk, rinse the filter and reinstall back into your dishawasher.

For more insights, manufacturer Whirlpool offers a short, easy-to-understand video on how to clean your dishwasher filters.

2) Check for leaks!   If your dishwasher is leaking, you might want to check your seal, or outside gasket, or where the pump connects to the motor in your dishwasher. This might be a result of the gaskets drying up (if you have not run your dishwasher in a while, especially in dry climates), or it could just be a faulty gasket.  

If you see a hole in the filter, or need new linings around the dishwasher door, check the Appliance Parts Company catalog for dishwasher replacement parts. We represent and carry parts for almost all brands of major home appliances and are authorized by those indicated to assist with field warranty claims.